Ты забыл, во что мы играли? (Have you forgotten what we used to play?) (2010)

I've never thought I'd post a review of a Russian movie here, but here it is. As the saying goes: never say never. Apparently, there are gems in this country's cinematography.

This film is about reminiscences of one's youth. One can recall precisely what has happened when they were young. One can come back to the place where this happened. In three years, or even in a decade later. However, one can never return exactly what has happened.

Why? There are many reasons. A "return" suggests that the person and the the things or people the person wants to return to have been separated, have evolved  independently for some time. On the material side of life, there's always a possibility to catch up - basically, just to accept the physical changes that took place in lives of the separated parties.

However, on "spiritual" level it's almost never possible to get in sync with a person or a thing left behind, abandoned for some significant period of time. This is because our mind is driven by our memory, the things that we learn interactively, the situations we happen to be involved in. Being separated, we face different challenges that prompt different reactions of our mind. One can hardly pass to another person all the cognitive experience they've gathered through their life. And as such we start to "think differently", to not understand each other.

Basically, this film teaches us to always keep up with people who we think we love or care about, be they our relatives, or friends, or whoever we think we want to be in touch with. Watch the movie with English hard-subs here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g37N3eoQ9s):



Traditionally, there are actors who sort of overact, e.g. the house buyer, or the mother of the protagonist. I think that this kind of acting is exceptionally good for theater performances, but it simply doesn't suit movies well and rather ruins them. That's why I dislike Russian cinema in general. Other than that, the movie is a well-played classic coming of age drama.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699212/
http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/1/film/540824/ (in Russian)
http://video.finar.ru/ (official site of the movie in Russian with an option for Google Translate to English)
My vote: 7 of 10

Who Killed Mrs De Ropp? (2007)

Wanna know how stories are created? How imagination works, and how surrounding things can spontaneously inspire us in an unexpected way? Then this movie is a must watch!

It's a wonderful, moving and exciting tale depicting a free flow of mind, showing how simple things - like a sight at the window, or a picture on a wall - can spark an incredible story that is solid and interesting to follow, even though the story itself may be a complete nonsense! :)

This film stars Bill Milner whom I've already mentioned in my review for Son of Rambow (2007), and although his appearance is very short, he does a great job as always.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031295/
My vote: 8 of 10

Kibrit (Matchsticks) (2011)

Beliefs and opinions often differ, which makes disputes and arguments almost inevitable. People like wrangling at least to try to convince others of their "rightness" and superiority. Ain't it great? However, people rarely like to be convinced of anything by anyone, and the best way to avoid this is to build a border. Easy said, easy done.

What purposes do borders serve? To separate some people from others. To not let others through. To outline a territory belonging to the people. Hence a need to guard the border and maintain its borderline.

Recently I stumbled upon the following quote:

"When you think of it, borders are paradoxical. They connect what they aim to divide." (source)

After putting more thought into this observation it becomes clear that borders are artificial, unnatural constructions, especially if they aren't real but only imagined, or supposed to exist at certain locations. What this leads to is that borders change over time. Either because of natural processes that move borders physically, or as a result of social processes - people living nearby are likely to interact with each other more or less closely in one way or another. Not to mention a desire of some people to expand their territories, which isn't uncommon, too.

Forces that guard the borders, on the other hand, can rarely accept this. Their sole task is to prevent such changes. And when the changes nevertheless happen, a war comes.

This short movie precisely depicts the process described above. In its abstract animated world people are presented as matchsticks, and this is not accidental. People are often hot-headed, and inflammable heads of the matchsticks perfectly emphasize the fact. This peculiarity of human nature only adds fuel to the fire of war.

And what has it all started from? Ah, just from some differences in opinions and beliefs. In this short film we may observe disastrous consequences of establishing borders aimed to isolate such differences. We may see that border in no way help prevent arguments. Conversely, they can cause even bigger arguments. A model of a physical border and an armed war used throughout this movie should certainly not be taken literally. The scenario may apply to any kind of arguments between people.

Watch it on Facebook at the link provided (no FB account required).

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150285891343548
My vote: 8 of 10 (although there isn't an IMDB entry for this title, so this is my appreciation, not a vote)

De grønne slagtere (The Green Butchers) (2003)

At first glance, this movie is full of mad characters. A brain-damaged guy overcaring for animals so much that he kills almost all of his family in a car incident on a trip to a zoo just to save a life of a deer. Afterwards his brother starts to hunt animals and collect their skeletons at his home until he's forced to become a butcher to tame his insane hobby. Then a priest who ate his own wife. And a few other personages with similar deviations...

Nice people aren't they? After a friend of the ex-hunter starts to kill people in order to spice up meat products at their butcher shop, the plot seems to go way far from sanity and common sense. You may begin wondering what the point of the film actually is?

Don't be mistaken here. A popular today (esp. in modern Asian cinema) genre of trash-horror doesn't apply to this movie at all. Neither do bare 'drama' or 'comedy' as specified at IMDb, in my opinion. I'd call it a black Scandinavian comedy. Maybe even a black ironic Scandinavian comedy.

So what's the irony, anyway? As I see it, the message is simple: there's not a single sane person in this world. Everyone is crazy in one way or another. To a smaller or larger degree. And this movie, being an act of art, simply utilizes hyperbole to present the idea.

How could one live in such a crazy society? Watch the movie to see how it resolves. In a nutshell, we just have to put up with the fact and accept people as they are. We should remember that we ourselves can look insane in other people's eyes. And that's OK.

To my surprise, both brothers mentioned above have been played by the same actor - Nikolaj Lie Kaas. I didn't even realize that until I watched the movie and took a look at the film credits. Wonderful performance, in my opinion.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342492/
My vote: 7 of 10

Son of Rambow (2007)

This is an ode to imagination. Kid's imagination, to be precise. Have you ever noticed that children are much more imaginative than adults? Duh! And yet, the way this movie depicts this subject is just brilliant.

The most exciting scene is when Will, the principal character, accidentally watches First Blood (1982) at friend's place, and on a way back home he imagines himself being Rambo running through the fields and "shooting" imaginary creatures all around him! :) Next time he's taken home by a priest, and, while watching at the window from a back seat of the car, he sees imaginary laser beams and cartoon explosions happening by the road. Also, his notebook (a paper one, the movie is set in the beginning of 1980's) is full of drawings which, when turning the pages quickly enough, transform to a moving picture.

Such an extreme level of imagination is possible because kids aren't limited by social norms, moral dogmas, or, after all, by the science itself. The more we educate ourselves, the more often the knowledge we've acquired evidences that there are boundaries in what can be done in reality and what cannot. Growing up, we tend to avoid even thinking of that infeasible stuff.

For instance, take a flying dog, huh? First it appears in Will's drawings. Then Lee, his friend, steals a clay dog, attaches deltaplane's wing to it, and voilà, they've got a dog that can fly for real! What mess that experiment brings in real life is another story, though. :)

While education helps us understand what technically can or can not be done, norms and dogmas, on the other hand, teach us what may not be done [1]. Where do the norms and dogmas come from? You could have guessed already - the religion, where else? Like in my previous review of a short Timothy and the World of Tomorrow (2010), this feature film deals with parents who, being religious, project their rules onto their children. Watching TV is banned, friendship with faithless schoolmates is prohibited. Just constraints, and no way to develop one's creativity.

However, Will's sincere friendship with Lee, their common interest in filming a remake of First Blood together, and finally, his everlasting energy help Will break through the restrictive rules. There's no way to keep a kid away from dreaming!

Since the film depicts 1980's, the soundtrack pleases us with a lot of New Wave music, and tunes by The Cure in particular. Spectacular acting by Bill Milner as Will must be mentioned as well. I've seen him in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010), Mixtape (2009), and he always makes a great performance. This amazing move is not an exception.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0845046/
My vote: 8 of 10

[1] Watch this marvelous excerpt from Avalon (1990) to learn the difference between may and can:



I like it when he says "Can I please go to the bathroom?" :)

Timothy and the World of Tomorrow (2010)

A religion sets rules and constraints. On the contrary, imagination and curiosity help break limitations and reveal new possibilities. When the two collide, a conflict is inevitable.

The movie tells a story of a 9 yo boy, Timothy, who dreams about outer space and loves to watch TV news about the Apollo program and the first men on the Moon. His mother, however, is overly religious, and as such mostly disapproves his interest. And the father of the family is too timid to support his son's passion.

When new Indian neighbors settle down across the street, their foreignness, and therefore different religion cannot be left unnoticed by Timmy's mother, and the boy is prohibited from communicating with the new family and their kid of the same age. Staying at home in a room with hammered windows all day long is the least thing a child may want or actually need.

Will Timothy be able to escape from his conservative parents, and how the situation will resolve? Watch the movie to find out!


Timothy and the World of Tomorrow on Vimeo.com.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650011/
My vote: 9 of 10

Cashback (2006)

An artsy guy experiencing insomnia finds inspiration in dreams about naked women's bodies while he works nightshifts in a supermarket. I guess I've just told you the whole storyline in just one sentence. :) Blame me not, since the most interesting part of the movie is in the details, but the story itself is as stupid and absurd as stated above.

Actually, apart from camera work (worth noting that some of it resembles that seen in Vertigo (1958)), there isn't much to mark. Perhaps the most important part is how this movie depicts the process of creating art. An artists has to virtually freeze the time to make out features of a person, a place, a circumstance, or whatever else they want to devote their piece of art to.

While looking through the features, the artist chooses either beautiful and perfect, or bizarre and weird ones. Finally, these features are layered on a "canvas", perhaps undergoing through hyperbolization, metaphorization, or some other sort of transformation. I put the word "canvas" in quotes because the process applies to any form of art actually, be it paintings, literature, or, say, music.

Note that there's also a short version of the movie: Cashback (2004), however, it doesn't carry the same amount of meaning as the full one. Basically it looks simply like a short comedy. Although some people may start with the short film first and consider it as a teaser for the full version (that was my case, actually.)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460740/
My vote: 7 of 10

Malj (The Mallet) (1977)

Unnatural selection doesn't always produce correct results. Some may seem strange, unusual, or even alien enough to filter them out of the society. However, being strong and optimistic helps to keep sane and alive, even if the majority (or just a "selector") thinks you don't belong there. Watch it:



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273771/
My vote: 6 of 10

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)

From now on I officially love Technicolor! That's amazing to watch a color movie shot in 1930's. Especially one that depicts a yet earlier period. Looks like the life back then hasn't really been as black&white as we usually see it on photographs from that time, huh? :)


According to the Wikipedia article this technology has started to go mainstream in 1920's, so there's a lot of color movies from the beginning of the XX century. Although many are lost, those remaining are surely must watch!


And regarding the story itself, let's not forget what Mark Twain said about his book:

Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029844/
My vote: 7 of 10

Eres mi héroe (My Hero) (2003)

Ramón, the protagonist of the story, has to change schools every year because of his father's job relocations. To bear that he sets three simple rules: 1) don't fight; 2) don't snitch; 3) don't cry. The rules help him avoid troubles, but also reduce the chance of befriending his schoolmates. Odd and sad, isn't it?

When his family moves to Southern Spain, it seems like they're going to stay there for much longer than just a year, and Ramón decides that the time has come to make some friends. But what does he know about friendship? Not much aside from occasional interaction with his hero, an imaginary¹ Native Indian warrior, who guides him through tough situations and helps establish relations with his new schoolmates.

Actually, there are heroes in real life as well. Spanish and Latin American coming of age movies frequently mix in political issues in children's lives (Machuca (2004), O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias (2006), Espérame mucho (1983) to name a few.) Interestingly though, priests sometimes belong to left-wing movements which looks quite unusual in comparison with the Soviet world of ex-USSR. And when it comes to politics, such people suffer a lot, and that's when their somewhat "heroic" side appears. Anyway, this movie is not an exception, and there's a leftish priest teacher at school who helps kids understand many important things including democracy, and even sex. But the most important lesson for Ramón is when he learns that:

"FRIENDSHIP: Your friend is your brother even if he fails you."

Although boys replace "fails" with another f-word, but hey, does this really change the meaning of the sentence?! :)

The will for change often means the need to lose something from the past. Indeed, Ramón has to break all of his three rules, but having carefully learned the lessons taught by his heroes he manages to make new friends (and also a girlfriend, by the way, well, sort of.) And that's only the very beginning of the film!

How to turn bullies to friends? How to keep friendship alive? How will the political situation in 1970's Spain affect it? Is that possible to stay friends after school is over? Even if the friend fails you? These and many other important questions are explored through out this movie. The ending is unexpected, very beautiful, and perfect in my opinion.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346947/
My vote: 8 of 10

[1] When I read or write the word "imaginary", I can't help recalling the South Park: Imaginationland (Video 2008).

Aldri mer 13! (Goodbye 13!) (1996)

What's it like to befriend someone? First you challenge the person to determine whether they're tough or gentle enough. Then you verify if you can trust them. And finally... well, you've become friends already! But here comes the most troublesome part: quarrels, betrayals, or simply disappointment. Can these obstacles ruin the friendship? Or do they build it up actually?

Quite unusual, this story depicts relationship between two schoolgirls Rikke and Bea. One would never guess that girls can be as crazy as boys: they play with matches setting a school building on fire, come running through the opposite sex locker room, and what not! Besides at the age of 13 they start to become sort of obsessed with boys which only complicates the story. Not to mention their relations with siblings and parents.


I like Scandinavian (and Northern European in general) realism: they tend to present people and situations in movies much like they're found in real life. Just take the father of the family for example: oh, there's some problem at home? He puts on his cycling suit and goes ride a bike. "I need some fresh air" - that's the only answer to Rikke's question on "what's the matter with my mom and sister?" Adults complicate teens' lives so very often...

The title of the movie doesn't mean, of course, that making friends is any different at other age. It's just that teenagers first realize how complex and multi-layered relations with other people are. Going through all the difficulties, Rikke and Bea end up being the best friends. They've learned a good lesson. Now it's time to move on. So, goodbye 13! :)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182690/
My vote: 6 of 10

It Started in Naples (1960)

I guess it's getting a bit dark here. Let's have some fun with this bright story for a while. Unlike modern comedies, this movie doesn't contain any toilet humor. A tiny teaser:

- It's 2 o'clock in the morning and all this loud music around. How are people supposed to sleep here?
- ??? Together!

:) Well, yeah, the sex theme is present in almost all American movies, but in 50's it wasn't as explicitly expressed as it is today.

There's plenty of jokes there. Just look at what 8 yo Nando does to take another cigarette puff. He'll even cry on his aunt's shoulder while smoking her cigarette! What a smart kid! :)

If one wants to relax and have fun, this movie is worth watching.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053957/
My vote: 6 of 10

Zebra Crossing (2011)

A chav struggles to find a way out of his social group. Justin, the main character, is an 18 yo guy. He and his friends abuse drugs, fight, run away from police, and even shoot at people. Basically, all this (well, barring the crime) reminds us of the behavior of pre-teen kids on a playground or at a break in school. From time to time Justin feels that his friendship isn't going to bring him anything good in his life. His severely ill sister and a ghost-like black man in the church are the only people who support him. What will be the outcome of the story?

Well, don't expect a happy ending here, otherwise this wouldn't be a drama. The environment we grow up in affects us very much, at times making it impossible to even realize a way to improve ourselves.


What I personally dislike is the way sound is mixed in this movie. Unnecessarily loud music pieces make it difficult to recognize speech sometimes. On the other hand, the choice of black and white filming with a color appearing in the very end makes sense and complements the story very well.

All in all, a good idea slightly poorly implemented. Read more for some screenshots.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1316092/

My vote: 6 of 10

The Sunset Limited (2011)

One room. Two men. And a 90-minute dialog between the two on the topic of belief in God. Why? Because one of them has just attempted to commit a suicide, and the other one saved his life.

So what is life? Why to live one? How to live one? Should the Bible be a guide, or does the history of the world teach us a lesson? What's pain and what's happiness? What's darkness, and what is light, and after all, is there this light all around us actually? These are the questions discussed.

The movie is a dramatically acted philosophical dispute on a controversial topic. I enjoyed watching it, and can see why people often rate it as 10 of 10 (see IMDB rating stats for this title.) However, I think it's a bit overrated.

The problem is that the movie lacks any innovation on the topic discussed. I couldn't find absolutely no new arguments from both arguing parties. There's no unexpected turns in the discussion. After having watched it, you may find yourself being even more convinced in what you believe (or don't believe if that's the case.) Yet it's still interesting to watch and re-think some of your views and principles.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1510938/
My vote: 7 of 10

The Danish Poet (2006)

This is a beautiful exploration of the question "whether our life is a coincidence or not" which I've mentioned in my recent review for Ikiru (Living) (1952). And a possible answer to it.

Watch the movie in two parts from YouTube in the "Read more" of this post.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0933357/
My vote: 7 of 10

Ikiru (Living) (1952)

A thought-provoking movie, isn't it? From emotional perspective a spectator will sympathize with Watanabe-san. Indeed, his son doesn't show respect to him, his job is boring and meaningless, and finally, his terminal disease... What on earth could be worse?

After he finds out that he has cancer, we see him passionately involved in arranging a construction of a park. This is a part of his regular bureaucratic job actually, but he's never been so eager about helping organize such an affair. Looks like he's finally found the meaning of his life, eh?

"In fact, this man has been dead
for more than 20 years now.

Before that, he did live a little."

Then he really dies. Fortunately, having been able to complete the construction of the park. And here come the final scenes of the movie which I really adore!

* SPOILERS AHEAD! Please Read more only if you've seen this movie already. *

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044741/
My vote: 9 of 10

Blodsbånd (Mirush) (2007)

 The movie tells a dramatic story about two people searching for a brighter future in a foreign country. There's a lot in common between the two: the same blood, the same genes. And as such, they're both similarly cruel toward their family when/after they leave.

However, there's differences as well. Mirush moves to Norway and wants to start a new life. He believes that Bekim, his father, remembers him, thinks about him all the time, and is going to help his son. Basically, Mirush expects to be literally fed by his father. Or, at least he wants to turn the situation into that state. After all he's just 15 which sort of explains this.

On the contrary, Bekim relocated to Norway long time ago. He had to start his life completely anew and forget his roots all together because otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand all the difficulties that obviously arise when a foreigner comes to another country illegally. He wouldn't be able to reach the level of independence and prosperity that he managed to acquire. And afterwards he had to protect this level further integrating into the society of his new home country.

Soon Mirush's naive hopes shatter on the severe reality. However, his extreme cruelty in the final episodes of the movie exceeds all reasonable expectations. The question remains: is that in his blood, or emotions were just running wild? The title of the movie (which is literally translated from Norwegian as "Blood Ties") suggests the former...


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0899216/
My rating: 7 of 10

The Client (1994)

I've watched this movie before, maybe even twice. Yet I've decided to watch it once again. The plot is very common for crime dramas: criminals, cops, and guiltless people in jeopardy. Gosh, haven't we seen that cocktail on our screens million times already?

But what's exciting about this particular movie is the acting. Especially that of Brad Renfro who plays Mark. It was a surprise for me to find out that this was his first role ever, and he hadn't had any acting experience before. And that when he was just 11 yo! Some time ago I've also watched The Cure (1995) with him, and he was acting superb there as well. It's a pity he passed away so young in 2008 because of "accidental" heroin overdose...

A funny thing is the southern accent of some actors. Like saying "hai" for "hi", or "whai" for "why". Also, the movie contains a number of funny scenes, like Reggie's mum: "Nice to meet you, Mark!" after he shuts the car's door and kicks it, and then walks away, or Mark: "Well, I'll just go get hit by a truck and come back."

As I mentioned the movie itself is quite common and doesn't carry any deep thoughts. The plot is full of unrealistic coincidences and situations. I would generally rate it as 5 of 10, but the acting makes it all!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109446/
My vote: 7 of 10

Spielen wir Liebe (Playing with Love) (1977)

Men and women: explained. That only phrase seems to summarize what this movie is about. I like it that they've chosen adolescents as the main characters because this makes the play more natural and sincere (children don't lie, etc.) Some episodes may look controversial for today's moral standards but that was pretty much okay back then in 70's.

What I like most about the movie are its soundtracks. The music is just awesome through the whole movie. At some point I've even heard a theme from Drunk Girl by Something Corporate from their 2002 album Leaving Through The Window. Wow! At first I was astonished. Then I realized that SoCo have probably used the theme, rather than the movie's crew had a time machine to travel from 1977 to 2002 and steal the theme from the song. :)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076749/
My rating: 6 of 10